Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 | Preview & Prediction
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The co-main event is an absolute cracker at UFC 311 as Merab Dvalishvili puts his bantamweight belt on the line against the unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov
Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov Facts
When is UFC 311? UK – the early preliminary card starts at 11:00pm on Saturday 18th January 2025, followed by the preliminary card at 1:00am (Sunday) and the main card at 3:00am (Sunday) / USA – 6:00pm/8:00pm/10:00pm ET (Saturday) and 3:00pm/5:00pm/7:00pm PT (Saturday)
Where is UFC 311? Intuit Dome, Inglewood, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 311? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 311
What TV channel is UFC 311 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC 311? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC 311 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov expected to walk out? Sunday 19th January, 2025, 4:45am UK / Saturday 18th January, 11:45pm US ET / 8:45pm US PT
UFC 311 Main Card
Islam Makhachev vs Renato Moicano (Lightweight)
Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov (Bantamweight)
Jiri Prochazka vs Jamahal Hill (Light Heavyweight)
Jailton Almeida vs Serghei Spivac (Heavyweight)
Kevin Holland vs Reinier de Ridder (Middleweight)
UFC 311 Prelims
Bogdan Guskov vs Billy Elekana (Light Heavyweight)
Payton Talbott vs Raoni Barcelos (Bantamweight)
Zachary Reese vs Azamat Bekoev (Middleweight)
Grant Dawson vs Carlos Diego Ferreira (Lightweight)
Karol Rosa vs Ailin Perez (Women’s Bantamweight)
Rinya Nakamura vs Muin Gafurov (Bantamweight)
Ricky Turcios vs Bernardo Sopaj (Bantamweight)
Tagir Ulanbekov vs Clayton Carpenter (Flyweight)
Merab Dvalishvili: Georgian champ looking to make first title defense
Merab Dvalishvili (18-4) makes his first title defense after he won the belt in September by beating Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. The Georgian is the first UFC champion from that country and he has fought some quality fighters in his current 11-fight winning streak. He has beaten the likes of O’Malley, Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo, and Dvalishvili is certainly not taking the easy route as he now faces the unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov.
Umar Nurmagomedov: Unbeaten Dagestani star aiming emulate legendary cousin
Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0), the cousin of UFC legend Khabib, is making his first appearance in the UFC since August when he beat Cory Sandhagen as the Dagestani fighter had another bout in December cancelled. He was due to face Song Yadong in December but his Korean opponent was forced to withdraw through injury so he now walks into a title shot against Dvalishvili.
Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov Prediction
This co-main event could easily be a main event on any other card and the fight for the UFC bantamweight belt promises to be a classic.
Merab Dvalishvili is certainly not afraid to take difficult fights and this is another tough test for his resume. Nurmagomedov has a 100% winning record having won all 18 fights but the names on his CV are nowhere near as strong as those on Dvalishvili’s.
It will be absolutely fascinating to see which man has the edge in wrestling as both are typically so dominant.
Both fighters win the majority of their fights on the scorecards and it will be interesting to see if either man changes their approach here.
We marginally prefer Dvalishvili based on his body of work but this really could be a toss of a coin. Nurmagomedov comes from outstanding stock and he will be ready for the biggest fight of his life.
We are not quite confident enough in Dvalishvili to make him our preferred play here but despite this being a five-rounder, our pick is on this to go the distance.
Prediction: Fight to go the distance
